Colt Single Action Army 1896 Restoration

Since the Sergio Leone movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, I have always been fascinated by the Colt Peacemaker. This is an example of an amazing previous customer restoration made by Turnbull restoration in Bloomfield, NY and therefore the firearm is not for sale. The Colt Single Action Army “Peacemaker” revolver is a famous piece of Americana. The SAA was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and was adopted as the standard military service revolver until 1892.

History Restored:

Install new hammer, fit new bolt, time revolver, repair recoil shield

Repair ejector rod housing and screw, fit new ejector rod

Fit new reproduction black Colt grips

Polish all parts for correct high polish finish

All screws repaired/replaced

Restore all original markings

Color case harden frame, loading gate and hammer

New cylinder

Charcoal blue barrel and cylinder

Nitre blue screws

 

Bir Hakeim Speedboat

"Bir Hakeim" the new speedboat for marine riflemen. The Fusiliers marin are specialized French naval infantry trained for combat in land and coastal regions. The Marine Fusiliers are also in charge of providing protection for naval vessels and key French Navy sites on land. Built by the Ulfast shipyard in Quimper (Finistère), the Bir Hakeim, the first marine rifle star (VFM) in a series of twelve, was christened on Friday January 27, 2023 at the Brest Naval Base. The Bir Hakeim is now admitted to active service. This will allow the training of crews and the ramp-up of equipment. The deliveries of the launches will be staggered until 2025. They will bear the names of the great battles of the marines.

The Bir Hakeim bears the name of the famous battle where the men of the 1st marine rifle battalion distinguished themselves during the Second World War. Built by the Ulfast shipyard in Quimper (Finistère), this is the first VFM in a series of twelve. She was assigned to the battalion of marine riflemen Amyot d'Inville, from the naval base of Brest, which will eventually benefit from four speedboats. The other VFMs will be distributed between the military ports of mainland France and overseas: Toulon, Cherbourg, as well as in Djibouti.

Before its admission to active service, Bir Hakeim carried out industrial technical tests in 2022 with the Ulfast shipyard, followed by state tests conducted by the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA), intended to qualify and receive this first copy allowing the taking into account by the French Navy. Designed to operate up to 15 nautical miles from the coast, they will allow marines to carry out maritime territorial defense missions: escort of precious Navy units, surveillance and intervention in territorial waters. The Bir Hakeim is the fruit of a program launched in March 2018 to provide the French Navy with a capacity of armored interceptors capable of protecting naval bases against terrorist attacks from the sea.

French Aircraft Carrier Foch Last Trip

Built at the end of the 1950s in the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire, in the west of France, the Foch was for 37 years in the service of the French Navy. The ship, capable of catapulting 12 to 15 tonne planes at a take-off speed of 150 knots, bought in 2000 by Brazil, which renamed it Sao Paulo, will be sent to the bottom. The Brazilian navy considered that there was no other choice given her very degraded condition. An area some 350 km off the Brazilian coast, 5,000 meters deep, was considered "the safest" for this scuttling.

The Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, of which Foch, now renamed and reflagged as São Paulo, is the last surviving member, are of conventional CATOBAR design. The landing area is 165.5 meters (543 ft) long by 29.5 meters (97 ft) wide; it is angled at 8 degrees off of the ship's axis. The flight deck is 265 meters (869 ft) long. The forward aircraft elevator is to starboard, and the rear elevator is positioned on the deck edge to save hangar space. The forward of two 52 meters (171 ft) catapults is at the bow to port, the aft catapult is on the forward area of angled landing deck. The hangar deck dimensions are 152 by 22–24 meters (499 by 72–79 ft) with 7 meters (23 ft) overhead.

French Army XTZ 660 Ténéré

Most regiments of the French army Train arm have a road traffic squadron (ECR), whose mission is to recognize and mark out routes as well as escort convoys and intervene in the event of an incident. In addition, during reconnaissance, they are also likely to provide information to the general staff on friendly or enemy movements. For this, and having to be extremely mobile, the “movement support fighters” of these squadrons are equipped with Cagiva T4 E 350 cc motorcycles, acquired at the end of the 1980s to replace the Peugeot SX8s and the Honda CB250s. But not for long…

Cagiva 

In 2015 the Army received 150 new Yamaha XTZ 660 “Ténéré” motorcycles intended for the ECR as well as the command and support battalion of the Franco-German Brigade (BFA). These "bikes" are more powerful and heavier than the Cagiva. The XTZ 660 Ténéré motorcycles, from the civilian range, are produced in France and equipped with appropriate equipment to meet operational needs while respecting a constrained budget, explained the Ministry of Defense.

The parachute dragoons of the 13th RDP (parachute dragoon regiment), intelligence specialists, have also reacquired Yamaha 250 WRR motorcycles

1er RPIMa Who Dares Win

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I always been impressed by the 1st RPIMa, maybe because my uncle was a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) during 2nd WW and jumped during the Operation Samwest in Brittany or maybe because they are only at 8km from my house. Anyway here they are a Legend.

In spite of its name, the 1er RPIMa (RPIMa standing for Naval Infantry Paratrooper Regiment) does belong to the French army. The 1er RPIMa is the inheritor of the traditions of the two Free French Special Air Service (SAS) Regiments that served with distinction alongside their British brothers-in-arms in the SAS Brigade during World War Two. The Free French SAS were among the very first to join Sir David Stirling's newly created unit in Kabrit, North Africa in 1941 and they took part in the epics of the SAS in Africa, Crete, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, earning many French and foreign awards in the process (including many British Distinguished Service Orders, Military Crosses and Military Medals).

Today, this SAS heritage still shows in the regimental motto" Qui Ose Gagne" (Who Dares Wins) and in the award of the RAPAS Wings, a badge reminiscent of the wartime SAS "Operational Wings" which can only be awarded to 1er RPIMa members after they have successfully met a set of stringent requirements including operational deployments. After WW2, the 1er RPIMa took part in the war in Indochina between 1945 and 1954, performing several of the more than 160 combat jumps carried out by the French paratroopers during that conflict. After the war, the regiment underwent a structural change and became a training depot for the whole of the colonial airborne force. As such, it did not take part in the conflict in Algeria. It remained in the training role until 1974 when the 1er RPIMa was again transformed, this time into a Special Forces unit, a role it has kept until today.

The regimental colours of the 1er RPIMa are decorated with the US Bronze Star Medal, the Dutch Bronze Leeuw and the Belgian Croix de Guerre as well as many French orders including the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de la Libération.

The 1er RPIMa today Part of the French army's Special Forces Brigade (BFST), the 1er RPIMa is a modern, highly skilled and experienced Special Forces unit organized along company lines. The main strength of the regiment lies in its three RAPAS companies (RAPAS standing for Airborne Research and Special Action) each specializing in a specific field such as HAHO/HALO, Counter-Terrorism, amphibious, jungle, mountain or motorized patrols operations and in its RAPAS Signal company dedicated to the C3 support of Special Operations. The 1er RPIMa also fields a Training and Operations company which is in charge of providing the selection, initial and continuation training of the unit's manpower and a Logistics company which supports the regiment in its daily and operational undertakings.

 The 1er RPIMa is one of Europe's most experienced Special Forces unit, having been constantly engaged in operational deployments from the date of its re-rolling over thirty years ago. It benefits from an exceptional location in Bayonne, South West of France. This positioning makes all sort of training (amphibious, mountain.) possible. It is also ideal as it is very close to the Centre d'Entrainement Adaptation (CTA), Europe's largest and most modern Close Quarter Battle (CQB) facility and to the dedicated assets of the French army's Special Forces Aviation Detachment (DAOS) and airborne school (ETAP), two establishments that are essential to its training and operations. The list of its recent operations shows a world-wide commitment since it ranges from Afghanistan to Africa and the Balkans.

The acknowledged expertise of the Regiment is such that in recent years, many prominent European countries have trusted it with the evacuation of their nationals in war-torn countries. The trust of those countries has never been misplaced and the 1er RPIMa has put out of harm's way hundreds of EU and other nationals in the recent past. Similarly, since the beginning of its involvement in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, first in 2001 and then again from 2003 on, the Regiment has won high praises. The commitment of its members has been rewarded several times by the American forces in the form of Bronze Star, Army Commendation and Army Achievement Medals. The high level of experience reached by the 1er RPIMa also makes it a highly sought-after partner in the development of Special Forces units abroad and the Regiment constantly receives requests for assistance in that field from sister units around the world. Always the first to deploy, the 1er RPIMa is at the tip of the spear of France's defence; constantly on the lookout for new solutions and opportunities, it remains faithful to the motto of its SAS ancestors, "Who Dares Wins".